|
|
I-League Preview: Chirag United – JCT
Chirag United take on JCT in the first of the fifth round I-League fixtures at the Salt Lake Stadium, Kolkata later today.
23-Oct-2008 8:58:13 AM
Chirag United
The newly promoted side have impressed in their manner to go about the I-League season. They know their strengths and weaknesses well and play their football accordingly.
Coach Subrata Bhattaharya was quick to realize his weak defence and got two foreigners signed in that position, something which not many coaches in the league would want to take a chance with. This has strengthened their backline big time.
Their midfield looks decent with the likes of Gouranga Dutta, Senhashish Chakraborty and Hardeep Saini. But all this would count to nothing as many as eight players from the starting line-up won’t be available for a variety of reasons. The coach would struggle to field 11 players against JCT. The youngsters who would come on would have the pressure to perform and having more than half the team full of them isn’t a very enviable situation to be in.
No doubt in guessing that they would sit back and try to soak the attacks of JCT and try to counter without throwing as many men forward.
JCT
The Punjab side need to put in more consistent performances. They, alongwith Chirag United, are the only two sides to have won, drawn and lost in the four games played.
Placed fifth on the table, JCT would look to snap three points against a depleted Chirag United side. As the league progresses in order to keep up the tempo with the other contenders, JCT would need to fill in their vacant third foreigner slot.
But the wily coach Sukhwinder Singh doesn’t believe in signing any sub-standard foreign player in haste and has full trust in his Punjabi boys.
Baljit Singh is always a threat from the right and is the main creative force of the JCT side in the absence of Brazilian Marcos Pereira.
Form Guide
Chirag United
18th October ’08 Air India 1-0 Chirag United (I-League)
12th October ’08 Chirag United 0-0 Churchill Brothers SC (I-League)
4th October ’08 Mahindra United 1-3 Chirag United (I-League)
JCT
18th October ’08 JCT 0-1 Mahindra United (I-League)
11th October ’08 JCT 3-0 Mohammedan Sporting (I-League)
2nd October ’08 Vasco 0-0 JCT (I-League)
Team News
Muritala Ali, Daniel Ayeni, Gauranga Dutta and Subashish Chowdhary are suspended due to double booking. Striker Shankar Oraon, goalkeeper Robikanta Singh, midfielder Lalmalsawma Hmar and veteran Shashti Duley are out of the match due to injuries. Chirag United have roped in new goalkeeper Gopal Das from Calcutta Port Trust.
JCT would welcome back striker Eduardo Da Silva while Baldeep Singh Junior is still nursing a hamstring injury. Baldeep Singh Senior has been declared fit but a decision on whether to risk him or not will be taken by the club management in the team meeting.
Key Areas
If JCT don’t create their forwards would get frustrated and the match would go down like the goalless draw against Vasco in the second round of the league. The possibility of a draw seems unlikely as the young Chirag United are likely to make mistakes on which the Punjab side would capitalize.
Key Players
Eduardo Da Silva: The Brazilian is back and the last time he came to Kolkata, he scored five goals in two games against Mohun Bagan and East Bengal.
Hardeep Saini: Cool, composed and collected is the man from Punjab who would like to play even better against his former side.
Rahul Bali.
The newly promoted side have impressed in their manner to go about the I-League season. They know their strengths and weaknesses well and play their football accordingly.
Coach Subrata Bhattaharya was quick to realize his weak defence and got two foreigners signed in that position, something which not many coaches in the league would want to take a chance with. This has strengthened their backline big time.
Their midfield looks decent with the likes of Gouranga Dutta, Senhashish Chakraborty and Hardeep Saini. But all this would count to nothing as many as eight players from the starting line-up won’t be available for a variety of reasons. The coach would struggle to field 11 players against JCT. The youngsters who would come on would have the pressure to perform and having more than half the team full of them isn’t a very enviable situation to be in.
No doubt in guessing that they would sit back and try to soak the attacks of JCT and try to counter without throwing as many men forward.
JCT
The Punjab side need to put in more consistent performances. They, alongwith Chirag United, are the only two sides to have won, drawn and lost in the four games played.
Placed fifth on the table, JCT would look to snap three points against a depleted Chirag United side. As the league progresses in order to keep up the tempo with the other contenders, JCT would need to fill in their vacant third foreigner slot.
But the wily coach Sukhwinder Singh doesn’t believe in signing any sub-standard foreign player in haste and has full trust in his Punjabi boys.
Baljit Singh is always a threat from the right and is the main creative force of the JCT side in the absence of Brazilian Marcos Pereira.
Form Guide
Chirag United
18th October ’08 Air India 1-0 Chirag United (I-League)
12th October ’08 Chirag United 0-0 Churchill Brothers SC (I-League)
4th October ’08 Mahindra United 1-3 Chirag United (I-League)
JCT
18th October ’08 JCT 0-1 Mahindra United (I-League)
11th October ’08 JCT 3-0 Mohammedan Sporting (I-League)
2nd October ’08 Vasco 0-0 JCT (I-League)
Team News
Muritala Ali, Daniel Ayeni, Gauranga Dutta and Subashish Chowdhary are suspended due to double booking. Striker Shankar Oraon, goalkeeper Robikanta Singh, midfielder Lalmalsawma Hmar and veteran Shashti Duley are out of the match due to injuries. Chirag United have roped in new goalkeeper Gopal Das from Calcutta Port Trust.
JCT would welcome back striker Eduardo Da Silva while Baldeep Singh Junior is still nursing a hamstring injury. Baldeep Singh Senior has been declared fit but a decision on whether to risk him or not will be taken by the club management in the team meeting.
Key Areas
If JCT don’t create their forwards would get frustrated and the match would go down like the goalless draw against Vasco in the second round of the league. The possibility of a draw seems unlikely as the young Chirag United are likely to make mistakes on which the Punjab side would capitalize.
Key Players
Eduardo Da Silva: The Brazilian is back and the last time he came to Kolkata, he scored five goals in two games against Mohun Bagan and East Bengal.
Hardeep Saini: Cool, composed and collected is the man from Punjab who would like to play even better against his former side.
Rahul Bali.
Inside Goal.Com
-
Euro 2012 Group D: Stats to keep at your fingertips
With the final edition of the statistical overview, we take a look at hosts and heavyweights in Group D
-
Blast from the Past - Euro 1976 Final: Czechoslovakia 2(5)-(3)2 West Germany
This edition of Blast from the Past brings a highly eccentric clash between Czechoslovakia and Germany in the Euro 1976 Final.
-
Blast from the Past - Euro 1972 Semi-finals: Belgium 1-2 West Germany
In the latest piece of Blast from the Past, Goal.com takes a look at one of the best matches for the tournament's 1972 edition...
-
Poll: Who will be most missed at Euro 2012?
Several key players from the top teams in the competition will be absent from the Poland and Ukraine, but Goal.com asks whose loss from the tournament will be felt the greatest
-
The list of EPL targets from Euro 2012 Group A
With the transfer rumour mill set to kick into frenzy throughout this month's European Championship, Goal.com looks at which players could be heading for England this summer